Writers' Resources
by Stephie Smith

While you're here, check out my writing contests chart!

Click on a subject in the below table to go to a particular section.

General Writers' Resources
Agents Different Genres Promoting Your Book
Blogging and Blogs Grammar, Punctuation Publishing Your Book
Book Review Sites Money, Taxes & Jobs Romance Reading
Contests & Exercises News on Books & Publishing Romance Writing
Craft of Writing Pitching Your Book Writing Scripts
Historical Resources
American History Fashion & Costumes Scotland
Architecture, Landscaping Industrial Revolution Ships & Naval History
Coinage Medieval-18th c. England Titles, Bios & Genealogy
Crime and Punishment Pirates, Smuggling, Trade Victorian Era
Culture (Art, Speech, etc.) Regency Era World History


Agents
  1. Recognized by Writer's Digest as one of the best sites for writers, Agent Query "offers the largest, most current searchable database of literary agents on the web." But it's so much more than that.  Here you can learn about the publishing world; read agent Q&A's; get an agent's full profile and client/book list; get formatting tips and genre descriptions and more.
  2. The Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc. (AAR), a not-for-profit organization of independent literary and dramatic agents. You can search for agents by genre, read their FAQs about agents, or visit their links page for bestseller lists, book fairs, publishing publications and professional organizations.
  3. Preditors and Editors is the place to go if you want to check the reputation of a particular agent.  The site tells you how an agency should act for you, then tells you which ones don't follow those rules.
  4. Writer Beware is the "public face of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Committee on Writing Scams."  They cover scams and unprofessional practices found in literary agencies, POD and vanity book publishers, contests, etc.
  5. If you're a member of Romance Writers of America, you can find their list of recognized agents along with info on how to query or submit to them at http://www.rwanational.org/cs/eligible_agents.
Blogging & Blogs
  1. One of my favorite blogs is Gina Holmes' Novel Journey which offers great articles, chats on writing subjects (such as Publicity 101 for the Fiction Writer), and 10-20 author interviews monthly.
  2. Romancing The Blog links to blogs from hundreds of authors.
  3. Blogging is something extra you can do to market your book--or at least get your name out there. If you don't know much about your options, you can find a good general editorial from PC Today called "Blogging:  An Introduction" which tells about the free (and paid) services available such as Google's Blogger and Live Journal, as well as the softwares that you can purchase for "Do It Yourself" blogging from your website.
  4. Another article about blogging is Sitepoint's Blog Software Smackdown, which goes into much more detail about the softwares you can purchase to install on your website.
  5. And a final blog software breakdown includes an excellent comparison chart, but please note that this is for software that you install through your website.  Sounds difficult, but step by step instructions are usually offered by your website host.
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Book Review Sites
  1. For info on book review sites, visit my promotion page at http://www.stephiesmith.com/promotion.html.
Contests & Exercises
  1. Click here for my Contest Chart.  Updated at least twice a week.  As I gather information, you'll find it here!
  2. Donna Caubbarreaux keeps track of contest finalists and winners at http://contestdivas.blogspot.com/.  You can also join her Yahoo group called Contest Alert to share in the excitement of contest finaliing and winning with others. Just go to this link and click on JOIN THIS GROUP!
  3. Confused about the sub-genres of romance requested in those contests?  Romance Sub-Genres, part of Aunt Cathy's Lecture Series at Absolute Write will clear those cobwebs.  While you're at it, click on the other links in the series and find exercises for choosing the 3 elements that will turn a mystery into a contemporary romantic suspense..
  4. Wikipedia also has a good overview of the different sub-genres of romance for contest entering.
  5. Writer's Digest sponsors several annual contests including their International Self Published Book Awards and their Short Short Story Competition.  You can sign up to be added to the Writer's Digest Competition Update email list to receive updates regarding their upcoming contests.
  6. FirstWriter.com has a fully searchable contest database which is "updated daily, with old competitions being removed and on average two or more new ones added every day, making it widely regarded as the best writing contest listing on the internet."
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Craft of Writing
  1. Alicia Rasley's web site is listed below under romance, but I'm listing her again for the craft of writing because she deserves to be in both places! The RITA-award winning writer has online workshops, books on the craft of writing, plus articles that are not to be missed.
  2. Looking for just the right verb?  Visit Deanna Carlyle's page of verbs.  For example, for "sat" you can find ... slumped, eased into, lowered himself, sank into, plopped down, perched, settled, reposed, reclined, lounged, sprawled, and more!
  3. WritersBreak.com has lots of articles for the beginner or the advanced (fiction or nonfiction) writer, along with interviews, online courses, book recommendations and more.
  4. Through its articles, resources, meditations and bookstore, Write Directions "provides the support and tools you need to fine-tune your prose, target your audience and market your work." Also available are workshops, and full-service consulting/public speaking services.
  5. Writer's Digest has articles, online workshops, a free email newsletter, contests, market info and a list of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers.
  6. How To Do Things is a really interesting site because it gives a good overview on just about every type of writing (not to mention everything else you could possibly want to do in your spare time!). Ex: How to Write a Business Plan, How to Write a Romance Novel, How to Write a Complaint Letter, How to Write a Wedding Speech, How to Self Publish, How to Write a Press Release.  You get the drift so check it out.
  7. Need to write a synopsis?  Check out Charlotte Dillon's website for links to articles and how-to tips plus sample synopses.
  8. Writers Digest's Online Workshops has workshops in a variety of subjects including writing skills & techniques, marketing your writing, point of view, essentials of mystery writing, essentials of romance writing, business of writing ...
  9. As their FAQ page states, "The first goal of Algonkian Workshops is to provide our writers with the knowledge it takes to intelligently approach the planning and writing of a first novel. The second goal is to get them represented by a good agent."  Along with their workshops, they have book reviews; publishing articles; interviews with literary agents, publishers, and writers; and more.
  10. FictionFactor, "the online magazine for fiction writers," has articles on the writing business, characters, script writing, honing your skills, world building, self-publishing, promotion and more.  They also have good overviews on the various subgenres in fiction.
  11. Books (gee...where to start...)

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Genres (Other than Romance)
  1. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers, Inc.  has articles on manuscript formatting, common mistakes writers make, characterization, making monsters, and building new worlds, among other subjects.
  2. Critters Workshop is"an on-line workshop/critique group for serious writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. You get your work critiqued in exchange for critiquing the work of others, both of which are invaluable ways to improve your writing."
  3. Sometimes romance, sometimes not...the chick-lit genre might be what you're looking for.  The Chick Lit Writers group "is a place where you can mingle with other authors who understand you, your voice, and this unique sub-genre that doesn’t play by the traditional romance rules."  Must be a member of Romance Writers of America to join.
  4. The National Society of Newspaper Columnists can be found here.
  5. Faith Writers is an "encouraging community of Christian writers" (over 20,000!) which offers free membership, writing courses, forums, critiques, articles, and more.
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Grammar & Punctuation
  1. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation gives rules (with examples) of grammar and punctuation, including rules for writing numbers, and offers quizzes so you can check to see just how much you don't know!
  2. At Dictionary.com you can type in a word and search by dictionary, thesaurus or encyclopedia for loads of info. 
  3. At Merriam-Webster.com you can sign up for the "Word of the Day" to be emailed to you, thus making it easy to quickly expand your vocabulary.  That's a bunch of palaver, you're thinking.  Okay, so you're probably not thinking that--unless you got your emailed word of the day: palaver.
  4. Use the search engine at WordNet to look up a word's meaning as well as synonyms for the word.
  5. This excellent Guide to Grammar & Writing was created by the late Dr. Charles Darling as a guide for his students. Includes subjects like paragraph development and sentence variety, writer's block and quizzes.
  6. Tricky grammar, capitalization, editors marks, and more at the style guide from University of Colorado at Boulder.
  7. The Glendale Community College English Department site is jam-packed with links for writing research papers. Includes links to manuals of style (CMS, APA, MLA), guides to essay-writing and more.
  8. The info on Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Style is arranged alphabetically. Click on "C" and learn about Cannot, Can't Help But, Capitalization, Cases, -Century, Citation, Clarity, Cliches, Colon, Commas, Comma Splices, Comparatives, Conjunctions and more. Or go straight to the full list of contents.
  9. Purdue University's(OWL) is another excellent resource for grammar and has interactive exercises.
  10. Books
Money, Taxes and Freelance Jobs!
  1. Search the Authors Compensation Survey by genre, sub-genre, publisher or type of sales to see how much money novelists make. (Note: This site is outdated for novelists. Appears that they haven't been updating it for a couple of years.)
  2. Show Me The Money! is a compilation of royalty and sales information put together by historical romance author Brenda Hiatt. Gives info on average advances by publisher for first book, 2nd and subsequent books, pay-outs, etc. Excellent reference!
  3. Creative Freelances Online connects writers with clients.
  4. Search the Authors Compensation Survey by genre, sub-genre, publisher or type of sales to see how much money novelists make. (Note: This site is outdated for novelists. Appears that they haven't been updating it for a couple of years.)
  5. Writerspace is "the home for over 150 authors, primarily romance and mystery, of the best fiction on the market today. Writerspace communities are familiar places for readersto gather, talk to each other, learn about releases and communicate with authors."
  6. Creative Freelances Online connects writers with clients.
  7. Journalism Jobs --The Job Board for Media Professionals.
  8. Poewar's Writer's Resource Center is one of the best sites around for writers and aspiring writers. Features articles, freelance jobs, fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, you name it. They tell you how to do it and how to get it published.
  9. The Burry Man's Writing Center is a network of writers and offers tips on craft, freelance writing jobs and more.
  10. FreelanceWriting.com, "the website for today's working writers," posts freelance ads, contests, forums, articles, events and more.
  11. Journalism Jobs --The Job Board for Media Professionals.
  12. Poewar's Writer's Resource Center is one of the best sites around for writers and aspiring writers. Features articles, freelance jobs, fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, you name it. They tell you how to do it and how to get it published.
  13. Writer's Market from Writer's Digest is an online searchable service for writers. For a few dollars a month you have access to information on most publications, books, publishers, agents and editors.  Instead of subscribing that way, I buy the "online"version of their annual Writer's Market book, With the "online" version of the book comes a serial number for activating an online account.  It's cheaper than paying the monthly fee.  And you get a hard copy too.
  14. FreelanceWriting.com, "the website for today's working writers," posts freelance ads, contests, forums, articles, events and more.
News on Books, Communities and the Publishing Industry
  1. "Backspace is dedicated to helping writers navigate the often confusing world of Big Publishing. Regularly updated articles and columns from industry insiders make the Backspace homepages your first stop to a career in publishing."
  2. Bookwire is "the internet resource dedicated to new titles, new authors, and the general scoop on the book industry!" At this site you can "search book reviews, read about the latest releases, watch author video clips, and learn about upcoming book events."
  3. Writerspace is "the home for over 150 authors, primarily romance and mystery, of the best fiction on the market today. Writerspace communities are familiar places for readers to gather, talk to each other, learn about releases and communicate with authors."
  4. Absolute Write has a forum/ message board covering the writing of novels, children's books, scripts, non-fiction ...  You ask a question, you'll get an answer.
  5. Book in a Week is a Yahoo group of writers who encourage each other to write daily through this book-in-a-week "program."  (And I recently read a first novel that was drafted in one week in this group and it was good, so don't let anyone tell you it can't be done!)
Pitching Your Book
  1. Read How to Pitch Your Book at a Writing Conference by Cynthia P. Gallagher at Writing-World.com.  Great tips here.
  2. The Perfect Pitch:  Pitching to Agents at a Writing Conference by Sue Fagalde Lick combines advice from different agents. 
  3. Read How to Write a Query at AgentQuery.com.  You'll learn the parts of the query and get to see some examples of hooks.
  4. Houston Bay Area RWA has an article called Alleviating the Symptoms of the Editor/Agent Pitch By Kristi Gold, who gives advice based on her seven years of pitching before publication.
  5. At the Hollywood Script Readers' Digest you can browse (and study!) the short pitches for just about any kind of script: horror, action adventure, romantic comedy, and more.
  6. Check out Laurie Campbell's Ten Minutes To Glory: Your Editor/Agent Pitch for help in writing those four important sentences: the "hook"; the heroine's and hero's who, what, why and why not; and how the conflict is resolved.
  7. Writer's Net has a good article (written by an agent) called "What You Need To Know About Query Letters."
  8. Agents who blog and give great advice in their columns from how to pitch, how to write a blurb, what an agent looks for in a possible client, how to write a query letter (and how NOT to:-) and much, much more. The great thing about blogspot is that everyone is using labels now, so you can click on a label such as "pitches" and read all of that agent's blogs on the subject.
  9. Books
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Promoting Your Book
  1. See my Author Promotion chart for information.
  2. Bookhitch.com isa new, free marketing alternative for authors and publishers.  With the free listing, you can list your book by title along with ISBN, five key search words, a 60-word description and a link for buyers to purchase the book.
  3. Author House has a wealth of info on Book Marketing including "Putting Together a Press or Media Kit," "Creating a Marketing and Promotion Plan," "Book Signing Tips," and other great topics for the new author.
  4. Published since November 1995, Web Marketing Today is the "largest circulation Internet marketing e-mail newsletter in continuous publication" and they have a "free version each Wednesday to help 100,000 e-mail subscribers stay abreast of Internet Marketing developments."
  5. Books
Publishing Your Book
  1. If you're looking for a chick-lit publisher, go to Deanna Carlyle's web site.  She has links to UK, US, and Australian chick-lit publishers.
  2. If you're a member of Romance Writers of America, you can see their publisher chart for RWA-eligible publishers here, and their publisher chart for those publishers who are non-vanity, non-subsidy but deemed to be ineligible to RWA here. The charts give info such as whether or not the publisher pays advances, how many titles they publish a year, if they take unagented submissions, etc.
  3. BookMarket.com isa site dedicated to first-time novelists.  They not only list web sites and contact info for book publishers (traditional--not POD, self-publish, e-book, etc.) who have published first novels, but I like the site for the inspiration regarding the trials of first-time novelists.  For example... " Unknown author Jennifer Weiner was turned down by 23 agents before finding one who thought a novel about a plus-size heroine would sell. Her book, GOOD IN BED, became a bestseller. The lesson? Don't take 23 agents word for it. Find the 24th that believes in you and your book."
  4. The Top Ten Publish On Demand / Online Book Publishers are reviewed and compared in a great chart at Top Ten Reviews.  Includes royalties, publishing packages, pre and post publishing services and more.
  5. InstantPublisher.com, a subsidiary of Fundcraft Publishing Company, book publisher for over 60 years, offers book publishing services in trade quality from 25 to 5,000 copies in less than 7-10 working days, and they have a pricing page where you can find out just what it will cost you!
  6. "Assisting PDF users since 1998, Planet PDF is a comprehensive, popular and independent Web site exclusively focused on Adobe Acrobat/PDF users and uses."
  7. Books
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Romance Reading (authors and other sources)
  1. The Romance Reader at Heart web site is currently dedicated to readers of historical romance. Whether you love Scottish, Colonial, Western, or Regency historicals, this site will help you find the perfect book to curl up with, and they are all broken down by category.
  2. At Authors On The Web, you'll find author bios, roundtables, message groups and more--authors of all genres.
  3. Good Ton is a resource for Regency romance readers. If you like reading certain types of Regencys, click on their Favorite Plots link and browse the Regencies By Subject page. Some subject examples are Marriages of Convenience, Ladies Lost in Card Games, Governesses, Poor Relations, Runaway Brides, Evil Guardian...well, you get the picture!
  4. Geometry.Net Writing Romance Resources has 104 web sites listed (with extracts) on anything you can think of that pertains to writing romance. If you go to their W page and look under all writing subdivisions, you'll find around 1,000 links to all types of writing, historical research for writing, web sites for writers, writing contests, etc. It boggles the mind!
  5. Romancing The Blog has authors' blogs, columnists' blogs, readers' blogs, industry blogs... blog, blog, blog.
  6. At All Romance Writers you can search for books by author name, hero or heroine name, subject/theme, or even character type (such as psychic, countess, spinster...).You'll find reviews, resources and more.

Romance Writing
  1. The Passionate Pen is a resource site for romance writers and includes articles on writing, submitting manuscripts, publisher information and more.
  2. If you're serious about publishing romance, then Romance Writers of America is a must-join organization.
  3. If you're learning to write romance, Alicia Rasley's web site is a must for bookmarking. The RITA-award winning writer has online workshops, books on the craft of writing, plus articles that are not to be missed.
  4. The Romance Authors Research Index has A to Z research topics, writing tips, authors' contests and more.
  5. Romantic Times has a fantastic page of writers' tips and articles by bestselling romance authors such as Debbie Macomber, Rexanne Becnel, and Jennifer Cruisie. Look under the section called Resources For Writers and Writer's Tips.
  6. Books
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Writing Scripts
  1. InkTip.com is all about "getting the right script into the right hands."  With a free membership, you receive at least one free lead (a call for scripts put out by industry pros) per week via the regular newsletter and for a fee you can place your script for viewing by industry professionals. View success stories, writer and industry endorsements, successful loglines and synopses, or browse their selection of excellent (free) tips and articles by industry professionals. Highly recommended site.
  2. The Hollywood Script Readers' Digest publishes synopses of unproduced feature films and proposals for TV series. Browsing the pitches for various scripts may help you write a better one!
  3. Done Deal Professional covers the business and craft of screen writing. You can get info on contests, examples (of releases, queries, etc.), browse forums, read interviews and newsletters for free, and for just $23.95 a year you have access to information on agents, lawyers, managers, news, production companies, sales, sales archives and studios.
  4. Books

Historical References Below
American History
  1. Mr. Jenkins History Resources links to comprehensive history research on US history and world history. Jump to the The Colonial Period for links to U.S. Colonial History, British and Colonial Relations 1753-1776.
  2. You'll find anything and everything pertaining to American history at About.com.
  3. Historian.org Your Key to History and Historical Research.
  4. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School has all types of documents of treaties, alliances and other items of historical interest such as The Louisiana Purchase.
  5. History Net-Index of U.S. Historical Documents.
  6. Historical Documents from the 18th century US from the The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
  7. Books
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Architecture & Landscaping
  1. Castles on the Web offers an extensive database of all things Castle related.
  2. The Great Buildings Collection is a gateway to architecture from around the world and across history. The Great Buildings Online documents hundreds of buildings and leading architects with 3D models, photographic images and architectural drawings, plus commentaries, bibliographies, and web links, for famous designers and structures of all kinds.
  3. BritainExpress.com covers English architecture from prehistoric monuments through the Victorian Age. Features architects, landscape architects and great buildings including castles, abbeys, cathedrals and country houses.
  4. "A Photo Album of Bath, England" by Eugene Orlando gives one a good sense of Bath during the Regency period.
  5. Campbell Auctions discusses England's influence on America in "American Neoclassicism - The Federal Style 1780-1820" including the design of Robert Adams, Thomas Sheraton and others.
  6. Books
Art & Literature
  1. Books
Coinage
  1. WHAT'S A GUINEA? Money and Coinage in Victorian Britain.
  2. Colin Bignell's English Currency is an excellent reference.  Broken down first by centuries with discussion of the coinage for the period, and then by years within the centuries, it gives tables for coinage from (for example) 1797-1811, 1811- 1816, etc.  Relates changes in the system to historical events, change in value of precious metals, etc. 
  3. A listing of Hammer and Milled coins. Discussion for English Coins denomination minted in England during the American colonial period from James I through George III.
  4. Coins of the England and Great Britain by Tony Clayton
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Crime & Punishment in England

  1. Stand and Deliver has great info about highwaymen and highway robbery, including articles, biographies of famous highwaymen, and links to other resources such as The King's Highway, a forum on the subject of highwaymen and other rogues.
Culture (Art, Speech, etc.)

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Fashion & Costumes
  1. The Costumer's Manifesto has links to everything you could ever possibly think of regarding fashion, costume history, undergarments, military uniforms, and more...for just about every period in history!
  2. Historic Fashions from Sally Queen Associates has interesting articles such as an analysis of a woman's 18th century waistcoat, as well as a great timeline starting at 1690 and ending at 1910 which shows how fashion changes with the political, social and economic times.
  3. Books
Industrial Revolution
  1. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook contains The Industrial Revolution with links to The Agricultural Revolution of the 17th-18th Centuries, The Revolution in the Manufacture of Textiles, The Revolution in Power, Railroads, Steam Ships, The Great Engineers, The Process of Industrialization. Also, the Social and Political Effects deals with The Lives of Workers, Urban Life: New Social Classes, Social Reformism. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook index page is at Main Page.
  2. Hanover College's History of Texts and Archives of The Industrial Revolution With links to Leeds Woollen Workers Petition, 1786 | Letter from Leeds Cloth Merchants, 1791 | Reports on Working Conditions, 1832 | Richard Guest: The Steam Loom, 1823 | Lectures of Arnold Toynbee | Andrew Ure: The Philosophy of the Manufacturers, 1835.
  3. Jethro Tull was a 17th century agriculturalist. He is most known for having pioneered the seed drill.
  4. The Long English 18th Century in Special Collections: Agriculture, Cookery, and Literature. The collection of rare agricultural works is particularly strong in eighteenth-century English imprints. The earliest known record of artificial cross-fertilization is evident in Richard Bradley's, New Improvements of Planting and Gardening (1739). Bradley, a celebrated author and naturalist, was appointed the first professor of Botany at Cambridge in 1724.
  5. Books
Medieval to 18th Century England
  1. If you want to know medieval history, you can find it at Britain Express:  timelines of Kings and conquerors, info on church, society, castles, architecture, art and more.
  2. All About Medieval Castles & Medieval Siege Weapons is filled with information on Medieval Siege Weapons (including catapult and trebuchet), Medieval Castles, and Medieval Siege Warfare. A very comprehensive resource.
  3. Learn about food and drink in medieval England, when most people had to make their own food.
  4. It was 18th century England, where kidnapping a 15-year-old girl was a misdemeanor but pickpocketing a capital offense. And it is all documented on The Proceedings of the Old Bailey London 1674 to 1834. "A fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court. This web site is the brainchild of two British historians, Tim Hitchcock and Robert Shoemaker."
  5. Eighteenth-Century Resources -- History, edited by Jack Lynch containing General Resources, British History, American History etc., is part of the larger collection of Eighteenth-Century Resources Index on the Net.
  6. 17th and early 18th Century Reenactment and Living History Societies. History from 1588 to 1746.
  7. Books
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Pirates, Privateers, Smuggling & Trade
  1. Cindy Vallor's Pirates & Privateers includes book reviews and pirate adventures, a newsletter with the latest pirate-related news and information, articles on maritime piracy from ancient times to today, links to the best sites specializing in piracy and life at sea in the Age of Sail.  Her Bookaneer pages have reviews on the latest fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. Other highlights: specialized bibliographies, piratical places to visit, pirate dates in history, piracy quotes.
  2. The Salacious Historian's Lair is a great source of info on the history of piracy.  Included is a page that lists over 100 famous pirates, such as Bartholomew Roberts, and their periods of infamy (scroll down the page past the table to the A-Z listing to search for a particular last name), as well as a map of the Carribbean during those times..
  3. Beej's Pirate Image Archive. Images of pirates at this site include Bartholomew Roberts, Henry Morgan, John Rackam, Mary Read, Roche Brasiliano, Edward Teach aka Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny and others.
  4. Sir Francis Drake, navigator and privateer, is one of the greatest English sea-captains of all time or you can go to the home page of this site and look for another legend.
  5. At George Prichard's Smugglers of Cornwall you can find a map of smuggler's ports, a smugglers' table of ships, with crews and dates, a table of customs officers with dates and places of service, a table of known smugglers with the same info, along with articles on smugglers, their captures, the laws, punishment and more.
  6. The Canadian Privateering Homepage. "Privateers were privately owned warships ... today they are an exotic subject, often lumped in with pirates, but in Canada's past, privateers were an accepted and respected way of waging war, and often the only means of defence for isolated Canadian communities."
  7. Gene Borio's HistoryNet.com has The History of Tobacco.
  8. "Books, maps, and manuscripts in the James Ford Bell Library chronicle the development of global trade in the early modern period. The desire to obtain goods that they could not produce at home lured Europeans to travel, by sea or land, to far distant lands in search of these products. In some regions Europeans entered into trade networks that had existed for centuries; in others they created new trade networks and established colonies." Trade Products in Early history included Beaver, Brazilwood, Cinchona Bark, Cloves, Cod, Coffee, Ginseng, Pearls, Porcelain, Sugar, Tea and Tobacco.
  9. On the Trade of the Isle of Man, "the present exports of this island are strong linens and sail-cloth, herrings, varying in quantity with the success of the fishery; lead, or lead ore, fowls, butter, a few eggs, and some other trifling articles." "Till the act of revestment in 1765 also known as The Sale of the Island, and the subsequent regulations, the chief business of the place was smuggling. The annual returns of this trade exceeded £350,000 and by some were estimated so high as half a million, while the value of seizures was not more than £10,000 so that the profits to those engaged in it were probably enormous." Check out the index of history of the Isle of Man.
  10. The local history of Cornwall's coastal villages consistently refers to fishing and smuggling as the chief employers of these small communities. Smuggling centered on the south coast, ranging from Caws and in the east to Lamorna and Mousehole in the far west., noted as a smuggling village due to its close proximity to the ready market of Plymouth. The smugglers called themselves "free traders" and took a pride in their ability to outsmart the Preventative or Revenue men employed to catch them. Details of the lives of a number of famous Cornish people through the ages.
  11. The coast of Kent, being so close to France, has for centuries been known for the smuggling of goods both into and out of the country. The wool-smugglers themselves were known as 'owlers', a name that lives on in the OILLER families of the Marsh today. Tea was another commodity which was profitable for the smugglers. Some 350 or more years ago, the Wishing Well stood between two flint cottages. The well was used by smugglers to hide contraband. Smuggling had become so rife in this part of Kent due to high import duties on tea, tobacco and spirits.
  12. Books
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Regency Era
  1. Regency England 1790-1830 is the subject of this site.  You'll find historical info about a variety of things including Regency shopping, Regency weddings, Regency fashion, and Regency Romances.
  2. History on Almack's Assembly Rooms can be found here.
  3. George III, The Prince Regent and Regency England -- While there is just a general overview of this period, this site is full of information about England.
  4. All About Romance features romance author Jo Beverley on the Georgian Age.
  5. The Regency Collection has tons of info on that period, including bios on famous and infamous people of the era, info on postal history, industrial advances, marriage, London clubs, dress, military life, receipes, and much more.
  6. Georgette Heyer (1902 - 1975) was an amazingly prolific writer who created the Regency England genre of romance novels. Although Jane Austen published during this period (1811 - 1820), she was writing contemporaneously while Heyer was making very well-researched historical fiction, full of all you could ever want: romance, fashion, upper classes, cross-dressing, arranged marriages, murder, intrigue, cant language, sarcasm and humour!
  7. Rakehell offers author bios and interviews, book reviews, and links to other Regency sites.
  8. At The Cupidity Home Page, you can probably find anything about the Regency period that you're looking for including The Famous People, Military, Waterloo, Voices, The Spanish Bride, Harry Smith Bio, Regency Life, Postal History, Industrial Advances, Coaching resources, Illustrations, Recipes, Writing, and more....
  9. A Regency Repository Table of Contents: Art & Industry, Literature, The Ton, Fashion, Town Bronze, Matters, Military & Political, Landscapes & Houses, Regency Romances.
  10. A zillion links here to pages with a zillion more links on the Regency period--food, drink, the clubs (White's, Almack's), Vauxhill Gardens, articles by Regency romance writers, gaming, swordsmanship, duels, furniture glossary, dancing, fashion and much, much more.
  11. Good Ton's A Regency Lexicon page offers a list of words and phrases frequently encountered in Regency romance novels, along with their definitions and, where possible, their origins. For example, under "Carriages," you'll find definitions for barouche, chaise, curricle, gig, hackney, landau, mail coach, phaeton, and post chaise.
  12. Books (checked out from library)
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Scotland
  1. Electric Scotland has the most comprehensive collection of historical information about Scotland that I've found--places, people, clothing, language, historical periods and events, clans, castles, music and more.  (You can also sign up for their freeweekly newsletter which is full of interesting articles and facts.)
  2. If you want to The Mad Piper has"the finest quality Scottish swords and other weapons made today ( Quotedby the Scottish Historical Society). They are Historically accurate in all aspects, copied exactly from originals and are made as they were made in the 18th." Photos include some of lochabers, dirks, and axes.
  3. You can find History, Myths & Legends of Scotland at Mull of Galloway.  The concise history begins with the Romans in 82AD and continues to present time, giving details of the differences in every day life for people of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Myths& Legends page tells about pipers, fairy caves, witches, scratching pens, holy wells and more.
  4. Scotland Online Heritage has tons of info on tartans, great Scots, whiskey, and has a great searchable timeline of historical facts (~ 12 pages on tartans and their meanings alone!).
  5. Historical romance author Terissa Wilcox has a page of Scottish links (as well as Irish, English, and general writers resources).
Ships & Naval History
  1. The Era of the Clipper Ships is covered in detail at this site.
  2. John's Nautical & Boatbuilding Page contains the The Mother of All Maritime Links. Very comprehensive site with links to Pirates, History and Maritime Archaeology.
  3. NavSource has over 13,250 pages and 41,424 images of all types of shipping vessels.
  4. Navyhistory.com brings you the history of all US Naval ships. You can look up a ship by name or by ship type.
  5. The Naval Historical Center is the official history program of the Department of the Navy. Its lineage dates back to 1800 with the founding of the Navy Department Library by President John Adams. The Center now includes a museum, art gallery, research library, archives, and curator as well as research and writing programs. Useful links included: The Navy Museum: Exhibits relating to U.S. naval history, 1775-present, Ships History Branch: Histories of individual navy ships, 1775-present, Early History: Research and writing on U.S. naval history, 1775-1918.
  6. Books
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Titles, Biographies & Genealogy
  1. Laura's British Titles of the Nobility at Chinet.com is the place to go if you want to know anything about how members of the nobility were addressed in speech or writing, formally and informally, by other members of the peerage and everyone else. If you scroll down to the Table of Contents, there are links for pages explaining about courtesy titles, dowers and entailments, the rights and privileges of the peerage, and more.
  2. Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet has more than 40,150 categorized and cross-referenced links for genealogy in over 90 different categories, including the Royalty & Nobility link and United Kingdom & Ireland Index.
  3. Genealogy Today has been publishing unique information and offering innovative services since 1999. The free articles and regular columns provide guidance for those just getting started, and the newsletter and databases offer value to more experienced visitors.
  4. BMD-Certificates specializes in acquiring replacement birth certificates, replacement marriage certificates, and replacement death certificates obtained from Government sources for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
  5. British Biographies of famous artists, architects, writers, landscapers, scientists of the Regency Age, plus links to bios of the Royal Family, and people from Prehistoric Britain, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon Era, The Middle Ages, The Tudor Era, Stuart Britain, Georgian Britain, and The Victorian Age.
  6. GENUKI is the genealogical information service for the UK and Ireland, containing a large structured tree of information. The information that is provided in GENUKI relates to primary historical material, rather than material resulting from genealogists' ongoing research, such as GEDCOM files.
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Victorian Age
  1. History in Focus has info on the Victorian Era which includes diaries, articles, research, selected web site links and an overview of that time.
  2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, has a very comprehensive site on the Victorian Era. Subjects include politics, technology, prostitution, society, architecture, morality, fashion and more.
  3. Virtual Victorians is one of the best sites I've found on this era of history. Pages include "Day in the Life" from the point of view of a married couple for each day of the week, plus a Themes Gallery filled with pictures and info on agriculture, education, leisure time, health, childhood, clothing and more.
  4. Britain Express has info on Victorian life including famous people of that time, Victorian London, art and more.
  5. This freepages/geneology/rootweb has a great list of names given to children born during the Victorian Era.
  6. I didn't know where to put this link to Deb's Historical Research Page becauseit encompasses all things British.  If you can't find something on my page, you can certainly find it here ... from prison life, workhouses and the poor, how mental patients were treated, crime libraries, diseases and medicines, maritime, maps, sexuality and marriage, inventions, government, food, fashion ... well, I don't have enough room here to tell it all!
World History
  1. For just $12 a year, HistoryLink.Info, LLC, provides guided historical research and how-to articles of interest to historical romance writers. Over 200 pages of daily life information for The Dark Ages, Medieval Times, The Renaissance and Reformation, Tudor and Elizabethan eras, Revolutionary Times, The Regency, Victorian and America Old West and Civil War.
  2. The Historypage of BritainExpress.com contains information on England from Pre-Historic times through The Victorian Age. Covers people and events, architecture, royalty.
  3. At History.com you will find historical information ranging from Great Speeches(in audio) to facts about This Day in History."
  4. The History of the United Kingdom, Primary Documents, economic history contains links to British - American Diplomacy Documents concerning the Paris Peace Treaty, the Jay Treaty, the War of 1812,and the Convention of 1815 Between the United States and Great Britian, Child Labour 1750-1900 With accounts of eyewitnesses and participants, plus commentary and Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft 1792.
  5. Over 1,300 links to organizations, archives, libraries, museums, research institutions and resources around the world in the field of labour and business history are found at World Wide Web Virtual Library: Labour and Business History.
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